Private clinics of Brazil sign deal with India to get alternative COVID-19 vaccine

A deal has been signed by Brazil’s private clinics for an alternative Coronavirus vaccine made by India’s Bharat Biotech. This comes as a result of a diplomatic push to ensure Indian-made shipment of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, Al Jazeera reported. Brazil has signed the deal despite “a lack of public results from late-stage trials” of the Indian vaccine.

This came a day after India’s health regulator gave its vaccine, Covaxin, a nod for emergency use. An association of private Brazilian clinics declared their intention to secure five million doses of Indian company Coronavirus vaccine. A memorandum of understanding has already been signed by Brazil with Bharat Biotech.

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“Brazil will be able to secure only one million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine by the second week of February,” the head of Brazil’s Fiocruz Institute told Reuters last week.

Geraldo Barbosa, head of the Brazilian Association of Vaccine Clinics (ABCVAC) said that this should be the first vaccine available on the private market in Brazil and the doses should arrive by mid-March, to be sold by private clinics after regulators there approve the vaccine.

Meanwhile, Bharat Biotech is yet to publish efficacy data of its COVID-19 vaccine.